Monday, July 27, 2009

July 26, 2009

Dear friends and supporters of our son Ben:

God willing, Ben will be returning from Uganda on August 3rd. As far as we can tell via telephone conversations and text messages half-way around the globe, God is stirring deeply in Ben’s soul through the children at St. Mary Kevin Orphanage in Kampala. Ben is looking forward to coming home, but he will be heart-broken over leaving the kids behind and his inability to continue loving, teaching, and caring for them personally.

Please join us at our home on August 22nd from 7:30 to 9 PM for desert and fellowship. Ben desires to thank you for sending him on this summer mission and share about the experience in Uganda and the burden God has raised through it in his heart.

We would love to see all of you, and please also feel free to bring a friend. RSVP to koraka58@msn.com or at 201 447 0134 by August 16.

Friday, July 24, 2009

As I said in my last post, I was away from the orphanage for about five days I traveled north with the TTW GUTS team to Adak in the region of Gulu and west to Paraa/Murchison Falls.

In Adak, TTWU runs The Dream Center which is located next to a camp hosting many of the Acholi people displaced because of the war. At the camp they live in their community of clay and straw huts. We joined them in living in such huts for the three days we were in Adak. Because camp life is very laid-back, we did little but sit and pray with the people. However, we did help in the fields of one of The Dream Center's students as we picked peanuts.

During a campfire on our last night in Adak, I had the opportunity to speak with Michael, one of center's students. As he was roasting the head of the goat we had eaten for supper, he shared with me his life story. Although the rebels never kidnapped him, his sister and four brothers were. The rebels killed all four of his brothers but his sister escaped during an attempted air raid (she trecked 120 kilometers in two days!). When the rebels came to his village and kidnapped his siblings, Michael feigned death. He thinks "God took his vital signs" because they grabbed his head and banged it on the ground yelling at him to wake up but when he continued to "play dead" they left him there. When he woke the next morning, he found his parents, who survived, and they sent him to the town for safety.

Two things struck me most about our conversation. First, he shared some of the most heart-wrenching stories I have ever heard with such matter-of-factness. War, tragedy, suffering, death are all integral and even ordinary aspects of his life and he spoke of it as Americans would of sports or the weather, not 9/11 or Columbine. For him, suffering "isn't the islands, but the seas" (Wolterstorff). Although I have noticed the same common-place attitude towards war with the children at SMK, grief still wells within them and manifests itself in their tears where the Acholi people seem to be almost emotionless. Secondly, I never noticed how holistic the effects of a war are. When I asked him what he found to be the biggest problem in the North he said the destruction of the family and the lack of education which both stem from the LRA's atrocities against the Acholi people. Because the LRA destroyed many families and stripped countless children from traditional development and immersed them in a culture of violence, many young men rape younger women throughout the camps which spreads child pregnancies and HIV. Furthermore, because many children were kidnapped and forced to fight and others displaced from their villages, the majority of the young adults lack the education and thus skills needed to make money and sustain their families. This is where the Dream Center comes in. The Dream Center provides students with a range of practical skils in order to make a living and provide for their families. Recently, over fifty students graduated as tailors and were provided with their own sewing machines to begin their business. Presently, they are training twenty-five men in brick laying and concrete practice, a class of which Michael is a member. As the students learn basic skills, staff members also share the gospel and disciple those students who follow Christ. They ultimately seek to develop the community as they provide for the needs of the community.

In addition to attempting to understand the sufferings of the people, we also joined with them in their joys as we talked and ate together over campfires. On the last night, the men stayed out and we shared proverbs from our two cultures and then guessed what they meant. It was so much fun. These aspects of camplife I enjoyed--the sharing and enjoying each other. However, it's good to be home at the orphanage as I can't wait to spend my last week with the kids.

After Gulu, we went to Paraa which is in Western Uganda. There we had two relaxing days of safari. We saw everything from lions to hippos to crocs to giraffes to elephants. It was beautiful and a great two days of rest.

Thanks again for all that you have done to send me here. I appreciate your love and prayers. Look forward to seeing everyone soon!

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Hello! Everything has been so great here in Uganda. I've considered applying for the open head master position at SMK (I'm sort of kidding).

One thing I have noticed is the great need for basic medical care. I never thought I'd get so much use out of my first aid kit! One P6 boy had by far the biggest sty on this eye. I didn't really do much for him but apply some heat but as he sat in my house after we had cleaned everything we spoke for a while. Somehow his family situation came up and he told me that he has both his parents but when he returns home he suffers great abuse. His father has married four women and Ronald feels as if he's the hated one of the family. They do not buy him clothes and rarely feed him while the other siblings receive kind treatment. When I asked him how he thought God felt about his situation he said that God doesn't care. I could do little more than hug him and tell him that God hates the abuse he receives and feels his pain while attempting to share with him the great news of our God of compassion. Because his parents do not pay his school fees or give him anything, all he has is a shabby outfit. I had the great privelage of buying him a school set which comprises of a class uniform, compound uniform, and sports wear, all for only $20.

One of the great opportunities that TTW is beginning about which I look forward to sharing with you more when I return, is a child sponsorship program. The girl that I (/the Prinz family, I hope :) have chosen to sponsor when I return is named Rebecca. Rebecca is from the North and was orphaned as a result of the war. I also bought her a school set and it was so cute to see her the next day looking at her outfit. I cannot wait to share with you how you can get further involved with these kids who have literally nothing.

Teaching has been going very well. I feel as I have finally gotten into the groove of things. I have never seen a group of people so eager to learn everything from the Bible to Math. The students are making a lot of progress especially in math. They make fun of me now saying I say think too much.

Many have asked about my living situation. I finally have a toilet although I need to go to the well every morning to fill the toilet. Although, I lack a lot of the comforts of home, I would not trade living at the orphanage for anything. I grade for a few hours after school, read, and then hang out with the kids until around nine. They are such an amazing group of kids whom I have grown to love. It will be incredibly difficult to leave. But I'm eighteen, so I technically do not have to right, Mom?

The TTW GUTS team has arrived and are doing well. They will be working on the clinic accross the street from SMK. Please keep them in your prayers.

I hope you are well and enjoying the summer. Thanks for your prayers and support! See you soon!

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Hello! I hope all is well in the USA. I am loving Uganda. Here's a tidbit of highlights of what's going on.

Classes are going so very well. In Religious Education we have covered a basic view of God and how humans were created. We discusses the concept of human beings as image bearers and examined some of the implications of that fact. English also has been going very well as I have seen some great progress in two weeks. Math (my least favorite subject at home) has actually been my favorite subject to teach. I have found that in this context helping kids think and analyze instead of simply memorize comes most in Math and RE. Jesse, who has been teaching math for another class, went up to the North with a team so I have been covering his class. I have been teaching every period of the day! It's been crazy!!! but sooo great.

On to more interesting stuff, Friday night I taught the P7 class how to play manhunt. About 25 of us played throughout the orphanage. I got many "wounds" as they call it, but we had a great time. At the end, we had a little party with cookies and soda and they loved it. The next day, Saturday morning, I went for my morning run. However, this time, I took ten sixth graders who led me to Lake Victoria. It was a long run but it was a ton of fun. On the way back we went through the jungle. It was a bit freaky because as we approached swamps they would tell me to be careful of the crocodiles. Also, we all carried sticks to guard against snakes. At one point, we got out of the jungle, we had to walk through a sugar cane company. Sugar cane, by the way is the best. I will start a business selling sugar canes when I return. It actually tastes like healthy candy. Healthy, pure sugar... oh boy.

As we were going through the jungle and throughout my time at SMK, I have realized the independence and self-motivation the children must develop in order to live at an orphanage. They take their studies so seriously as they constantly long to learn. Also, they clean their clothes and go to sleep all on their own. They never have a parent to manage anything about their lives as they develop some of the skills American children take years to acquire. It has really been amazing.

Recently, I began a small group with ten boys. We are pretty much expanding on the topics we discuss in Religious Education. We've met a few times and each time they are so engaged and longing to learn more about this "something out of nothing" God.

One of the other highlights of my time here was Thursday night. There were about thirty kids hanging out in one of the classrooms and I walked over to say hello and goodnight and they all begged me to teach them something. So I asked what it was they wanted me to teach them and they all said about the Bible. And there for an hour or so with chalk and a Bible, we discussed the gospel as many kids realized for the first time that God saves those who believe not those who do good things. The concept of God punishing himself hit them hard, I think, as they are often punished for their misbehaviors and bad grades. Everytime I teach the gospel I again see the beauty of the our God and his grace in a fresh way.

It is so difficult to sum everything up for you, but I am having such an amazing time. I am learning so much and seeing so many new things which continue to amaze you. Thank you all for your emails and prayers! I hope you are well.